Capping machine



192 Apnl 12 7 J. A. s'rocK CAPPING MACHINE Filed Jul; 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheefc. i

J. A. STOCK CAPPING MACHINE Filed July 17., 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 2 HWY 29* 1,624 286 Ap 12 1927' J. A. STOCK CAPPING MACHINE Filed July 17, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS A. STOCK, OF CICERO, ILLINQIS, ASSIGNOR TO IV. C. RITCHIE & COMPANY, OF

' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. i

GAPPING IVIACHINE.

Application filed. July 17,

My present invention is designed to provide mechanical and functional features of novel types in machines for assembling receptacles and their flanged caps or covers, one aim of the invention being to apply the caps to the receptacle bodies with facility and dispatch and in such a manner that expansion of the enclosed air will not tend to dislodge the applied cap.

To enable those skilled in this art to fully understand the invention and its various advantages, in the accompanying drawing forming a part of' this specification and throughout the several views of which the same parts have been designated by like reference characters I have illustrated a preferred and convenient embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that this mechanism may be modified within comparatively wide limits without departure from the heart and essence of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the machine on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the parts being viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary central vertical section illustrating the manner of assembling the bodies and caps;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on line 4-t of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal vertical section of fragmentary character through the right-hand portion of the machine and which is directly associated with the movable abutment against which the cap bears;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section showing the cap chute;

F '4' is an enlarged vertical cross-sectiou on line 77 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 8 shows one of the capped receptacles or cans in longitudinal section.

By reference to these drawings, it will be seen that the improved machine includes a main-frame 21 of suitable shape or form having a horizontal, longitudinally-slotted, top table portion 22.

The cylindrical bodies 23 of the receptacles or cans which may be made of any appropriate material are fed to the machine through an upright chute 24 in which the 1924. Serial No. 725,581.

on one another in an upright pile, the lowermost one resting in a curved cradle or saddle 25.

As is clearly illustrated, this vertical chute is composed of two, upright, rearwardlycurved, suitably-supported angle-bars 26, 26 which by a slotted bracket 27 carry a front plate 28, whereby the three elements 26, 26 and 28 act to confine the tubular bodies in a proper path of downward travel.

Cradle 25 is carried by two, opposite, adjustable supports, 29, 29 mounted in an appropriate manner on the table top portion of the machine frame.

It should be observed that the lower ends of the angle-bars 26, 26 of the body-housing chute are cut away at 31 (Figure 2) so that the lowermost can resting in the saddle may be moved lengthwise therefrom.

The flanged caps or covers 32 are delivered to the upper mouth of a curved chute 33 by means of a beltconveyor 34, such chute being formed by a pair of parallel, curved angle-bars 35, 35 mounted at their lower ends on brackets 36, 36 secured to the table and by a curved strap or bar 37 carried by the angle-bars by means of supports 38, 38.

These caps or flanged covers rest directly upon one another, the lower one bearing on a saddle or cradle 39 adjusta-bly supported as to height in an apertured boss 4-1 of the table, whereby the lowermost body and the corresponding cap are in register or alignment.

Such lowermost cylindrical body pushed into the complementary cap by means of a horizontally-reciprocating plunger 42 mounted on and movable with a suitably-guided slide 43, and, in order that the next tubular body in the chute may not descend until the plunger is again properly retracted, the top thereof is equipped with an extension 44 which comes under the next body and pre' vents it falling until the plunger is in such position that it will drop into the saddle in front of the plunger.

The slide and its plunger and the latters extension are reoiprocated by a rock-arm 45 fulorumed on the frame at 46 and having a swivel operative connection 47 at its upper endwith the slide, such arm being rocked by a cam 48 on the main driveshaft 5O coacting horizontally-disposed bodies are supported with a roller 49 on a link 51 pivoted to the rock arm at and bifurcated at its other end to straddle the shaft, the drive-shaft being driven by an electric-motor 58 through gearing 54 and 55.

From an understanding of this construetion, it will be readily perceived that the successive reciprocations of the plunger, effected by the mechanism depicted and described, removes the tubular bodies one by one from the saddle or cradle and projects them into their corresponding caps or covers, the bodies and covers dropping one by one into place as those below them are removed by the capping mechanism.

Inasmuch as the circular flanges of the caps are likely to be somewhatout of round and as the bodies or cans themselves are not always of exact cylindrical form, it is desirable to equip the appliance with some means which will assist in their telescopic assembly.

To this end, therefore, the table top is supplied with a second slide 56 guided in its reciprocations by the grooved blocks 57, 57, the slide being actuated by a suitablysupported bell-crank 58, one arm 59 of which projects up through a slot 61 in the table top and has a loose, pivotal connection 62 with the slide, the other or companion arm 63 of the bell-crank having a roller 64; riding on the edge of a cam 65 on shaft 50, the roller being maintained in contact with the cam by means of a coil, contractile spring 66 connected to the bell-crank arm 59 and to the under side of the table top.

One end of the slide is formed as or provided with an adjustable split-ring 67 accommodating therein a 7 divided ring 68 carrying an annular series of spaced, converging, resilient, metal fingers 69 adapted to guide the cylindrical body or can into the correspondingly-shaped cap or flanged cover.

The movements of the parts of the mechanism are so timed that this group of fingers, acting somewhat on the principle of a shoe horn, mores forwardly projecting them into the cap as shown in Figure 3 and then the can or body ad *ances inside of the ring of fingers and by them is guided into the cap.

The table top at one end. also carries a member 71 having a horizontal bearing 72 for a sliding rod or shaft 78 and below this a cylindrical air-chamber 74 containing a dash pot piston or plunger 75 on a rod 7 6 united to the rod 73 by a block 77 so that the two always move in unison, the block being connected to the member 71 by a pair of coil contractile springs 178, 178.

At its left-hand end, the chamber 74 is supplied with an air relief port 179 (Figure 7) controlled by an adjustable valve 181.

The contraction of the two springs tends to force the two parallel rods to the left but this action is retarded by the restricted escape of the air through the port 179 all as will be readily understood.

At its left-hand end rod or shaft 73 is fitted with around abutment collar 74 pinned thereon and to the right of this it is (1111131161 with a collar 75 secured fixedly thereon and provided with a notch or catch 76 on its top.

Such catch is designed and intended to cooperate with a spring-depressed latch 77 fulcrumed at 78 on the top of and overhanging the left hand end of the member 71,

This latch is normally held pressed down by a spring 79 hearing on its top surface but it is momentarily lifted at the proper times by means of a long, upright link 81 pivoted thereto and atits lower end pivoted to one end. of a lever 82 fulcrumed on the under part of the main-frame at 88 and having at its other end a roller 8 f bearing on the periphery of a cam 85 on shaft 50, the weight of the parts combined with the action of spring 79 assuring that the roller will be maintained at all times in contact with the cam.

To discharge the capped receptacle, a lever 86, fulcrumed at 87, is supplied at its lower end with a roller 88 coacting with the cam lug 89 on the side of cam 65, a coil contractile spring 91 acting on the lever above its pivotal point 87 to hold the roller against the side of the cam.

At its upper end lever 86 has an adjustable bracket 92 equipped with a roller 93 which during the rocking movement of the lever strikes the capped can and delivers it from the machine. 7

The device operates practically as follows, assuming that the two chutes have been supplied with quantities of cans and caps and that the shaft 73 and its abutment collar 74 are in the positions indicated in Figure 1.

Slide 56 advances projecting the group of resilient, converging, guide fingers 69 into the lowermost cap 32 which bears against the abutment 74.

g The plunger 42 advances forcing the lowermost can or receptacle inside the ring of fingers partially into the corresponding registering cap and as this telescopic assembly thereafter progresses, the abutment 7st and its shaft 78 are shifted to the right under the exerted forces and against the action of springs 178, 178 and the dash-pot construction.

This gradual recession of the abutment assures that the cap and body will. be sufficiently slowly telescoped so that there will be adequate leakage of air between them to insure that later there will be no tendency for the closeted air therein to expand and partly or wholly push the cap off its can.

iVhen the catch 7 6 of collar 75 comes under the bevelled end of latch 77 it lifts the til (ill

latter and the latch engages and teniporarily holds the catch and associated parts against the action of the new expanded coil springs 178, 178.

As soon as the plunger has receded a slight amount, thus freeing the two ends of the capped can from pressure, lever 86 rocks and delivers the can sidewise or laterally from the machine.

Thereupon the latch 77 is lifted by cam 5 releasing the catch 76 whereupon the raft or red 3 and its abutment travel to re left to or inal position under the contracting shortening action of the springs, but this movement, which would otherwise be unduly rapid. is checked by the action of the dash-pot mechanism.

One valuable feature of this manner of functioning resides in the elimination of any inclination or likelihood oi the trapped air in the can to dislodge the fitted cap or cover.

As has been indicated, the necessary parts of the mechanism are made adjustable so that containers and covers of varying dimensions may be automatically fitted together after the required positioning of the elements has been eiiected which may be accomplished with ease and dispatch.

Man minor mechanical changes may be made in this preferred embodiment of the invention without departure from the heart and essence of the invention and without the sacrifice of its substantial benefits and advantages.

I claim:

1. In a can-capping machine, the combination of means to support a can, means to support a flanged cap in register with the can, a series of resilient guiding fingers, means to project said fingers into the cap, an abutment against which the cap is adapted to bear during the assembly of cap and can, means to force the can through the group of guiding fingers into the cap, and means to permit said abutment to recede during said assembly, whereby the can and cap are telescopically assembled sufliciently gradually to permit the substantially simultaneous escape of air between them thus preventing dislodgment of the cap by trapped air in the capped can.

2. In a cancapping machi e, the combi nation of means to support a can, means to support a flanged cap in register with the can, a series of resilient guiding fingers, means to project said fingers into the cap, a recedable abutment against which the can is adapted to bear, yieldable means resisting the receding movement of the abutment, a plunger designed to engage the can, and means to move said plunger to carry the can through said series of guiding fingers into the cap and to cause the recession of the abutment against the action of said yieldment of the cap by trapped air in the capped can.

3. In a can-capping machine, the combination of means to support a can, means to support a flanged cap in register with the can, an annular series of converging rcsilient guiding fingers, means to slide said fingers to project them into thecap, a reccdable slidable abutment against which the cap is adapted to bear, yieldable means resisting the receding sliding movement of the abutment, a plunger designed to engage the can, and means to slide said plunger to carry the can through said series of guiding fingers into the cap and to cause the slidrecession of the abutmentagainst the action of said yieldable means by the pressure which the plunger exerts thereon through the can and cap, whereby the can and cap are telescopically assembled sutli ciently gradually to permit the substantially simultaneous escape of air between them thus preventing dislodgment-of the cap by trapped air in the capped can.

4. In a can-capping machine, the combination of means to support a can, means to support a flanged cap in register with the can, a series of resilient guiding figures, means to move said fingers and cap relatively to one another to project the former into the latter, a recedable abutment against which the cap is adapted to bear, yieldable means resisting the receding movement of the abutment, a plunger designed to engage the can, means to move said plunger to carry the can through said series of guiding fingers into the cap and to cause the reccs sion of the abutment against the action of said yieldable means by the pressure which the plunger exerts thereon through the can and cap, whereby the can and cap are telescopically assembled sufiiciently gradually to permitthe substantially imultaneous escape of air between them thus preventing dislodgment of the cap by trapped air in the capped can, means to lock said abutment temporarily in retracted position, means to discharge the capped can, and means to unlock said locking means after the capped can has been discharged permitting said yieldable means to restore said abutment to original position.

5. In a can-capping machine, the combination of means to support a can, means to support a flanged cap in register with the can, an annular series of converging resilient guiding fingers, means to slide said fingers and cap relatively to one another to project the former into the latter, a sliding receding abutment against Which the cap is adapted to bear, spring means resisting he receding sliding movement of the abutment, at dash-pot mechanism retarding the movement of the abutment in the opposite direction, a latch to automatically hold said abutment in retracted position against the action of said spring means, means to release said lat-ch a plunger designed to engage the can means to slide said plunger to carry the can through said series of guiding fingers into the cap and to cause the recession of the abutment against the action of said spring means by the pressure which the plunger exerts thereon through the can and cap, whereby the can and cap are telescopically assembled sufticiently gradually to permit the substantially simultaneous escape of air between them thus preventing dislodgment ot the cap by trapped air in the capped can, and means to discharge the capped can While the abutment is held re tracted by the latch.

In Witness Whereoi I have hereunto set my hand. v

JULIUS A. STOCR. 

